Electric-railway system.



G. A. HUSH & J. G. DOUTY.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION IILED SEPT. 17,1907.

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CHARLES A. HUSE AND JOHN G. DOUTY, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO SIMPLEX SURFACE CONTACT COMPANY.

ELE CTRIG-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

No. 920,339. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 4, 1909.

Application filed September 17, 1907. Serial No. 393,299.

To all whom it may concern: as to effectually cut off the flow therethrough Be it known that we, Crrannns A. Home when the motor containing circuit of the and J OHN Gr. DoU'rY, citizens of the United system is closed through the controller. 5

States, residing at Williamsport, in the The invention has as a further object the 5 county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylcl'nployment of an automatic means in comvania, have invented newand useful Imbination with the arrangement above set provements in Electric-Railway Systems, of forth whereby the battery circuit will be which the following is a specification. automatically opened as soon as the ener- 60 'lhisinvention relates to electric railway gized electro-magnets cause the shoe of the systems of that general class in which car to be electrically connected with the supspaced contact switch-boxes are arranged at p y nductor of the system through the i t l C110mg th d d are succegcontact switches, thus rendering it unnecessively connected to a feed wire or main consary for the motorman to manually cut the 65 ductor by the movement of theswitches ry C cu t out of Service.

from the attractive influence of magnets sus- With these O jects in vie-W and others as pended from the car, these switch-boxes dewill appear as the description proceeds, the livering their current in successive Order to invention comprises the various novel feaa collecting shoe carried by the car. tures of construction and arrangement of 70 One of the objects of the invention is the parts which will be more fully described provision of a system of the character rehereinafter and set forth with particularity ferred to in which only one set of electro in the l ms appended hereto. nagnet. windings are employed ,0 operate In the ZlCCOll'lpElllYlllg ClliLWlIlg lllllS- the contact switches and these agnet ar trates one of the embodiments of the inven- 75 adapted to be connected in a battery cirtion, Figure 1 is a diagram of that portion cuit forinitially starting the car and to be of the system comprisin the apparatus and connected at other times with the supply wirlng Of a and a -i0 off! track, mainsof'the system irrespective of whether gether with some of the contact switches. th t ll f th Car i i ith on or Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the collect- 80 off posit-ion. ing shoe and electromagnet pole strips asso- A further object is the employment of Cifltecl h r with.

electro-magnets, the windings of which are Silhihll reference a cters a e oInf comparatively l g gage i d re f ployed to designate corresponding parts in great mechanical strength and durability the vlews of the drawlng 85 so that breakage and burning out is minie 'l g to the drawlng, 10 designates lnized I thi r t, th present i one of the rails on which the cars travel and tion overcomes the disadvantages of u h which serves as the return conductor of the systems heretofore proposed in whi h h t system, and suitably arranged with respect windings are employed in connection with to he -h ls re Contact switch boxes 90 the series windings for the purpose of maindesignated generally by 11 which are suc- 40 taining the electro-magnets energized while cessively operated by the electro-magnets on th nt ll f th r is open, the shunt a car as it approaches so as to connect the winding being found objectionable owing electric equipment of a car with a feed conto the cg 'npayagively great, expense and dif- ClllCtOl. Each COIltEICl? SWltCll comprises it 95 ficulty in manufacturing and maintenance. pair of oppositely disposed unwound pole Another object is to provide a permapieces 12 and 13 between which is mounted nently closed resistance containing shunt an oscillating armature 11 that carries a between the electro-magnets which are arcontact 11 that is a p e be g t ranged in series parallel relation, and the into engagement with a stationary contact 100 return conductor of the system so that a or conductor 14 when a magnetic flux is propath is provided for the current through duced through the pole pieces by the apthe electromagnets when the controller is proach of the energized electro-magnets on open, the resistance being of such a value a car, the armature being normally biased in such a manner as to open the switch when the flux through the pole pieces is m'Z. For a better understanding of the construction and operation of the contactswitehes, reference is to be had to our pending application Serial No. 393,298, filed concurrently here with. The stationary contacts or conduc tors of the switches are connected with the supply main or feeder 15 and when any switch is closed, current passes from the conductor 15, through the conductor 14, contact 11 armature 11 and metallic box or casing of the switch to the collecting shoe of the car which runs in contact with the portion 16 on the casings of the switches 11. The switch boxes are spaced apart along the track a suitable distance from each other and the shoe 20 suspended on the car is of such a length as to bear at least on one switch so that current can be supplied continuously to the propelling motor or motors. Extending longitudinally of the car and preferably, although not necessarily at opposite sides of the shoe 20, as shown in Fig. 2, are two pole strips 21 and 22, which, together with the shoe are mounted on hangers 19 for suspending the parts from the bottom of the car. On each pole strip are mounted electro-magnets 23 and those of each strip are connected in series relation, while both groups are connected in multiple in the various circuits of the system. On the ear is installed a battery 25 of the secondary or accumulator type and this battery is connected by a wire 26 with the eleetro-magnets 23 and a current passing through the electromagnets returns to the battery through a conductor 27 in which is included a manually operated cut-out switch 28. The controller 30 is connected with the conductor 27 by a wire 29 and leading from the controller is a conductor 31 that connects with the propelling motor 32 and this motor is connected with the return side of the system by a conductor 33. The shoe 20 is connected with a wire 35 which includes a circuit breaker 3 1 and the wire 35 is connected with a series solenoid 36 which is adapted to con trol the battery circuit and from the solenoid is a wire 37 that connects with the electro-niagnets 23. The solenoid is provided with a core 38 and has a bridging contact 39 adapted to engage the contact points 40 included in the conductor 27 Between the eleetro-magnets 23 and return conductor 10 is a resistance winding containing shunt 43, the resistence coil being designated by 44E.

In practice, the system is brought into operation by the motorman first closing the cut-oil switch 28 so as to complete the battery circuit, it being understood that when no current is flowing in the solenoid 36 the bridging contact 39 by its weight combined with that of the core 38 will engage with the contact points 10, so that current will flow as soon as the switch 28 is closed. The circuit tor the battery current includes the conductor 26, solenoid 36, conductor 27, switch 23, contact piece 39 and thence to the bat tery 25. The magnets being thus energized will establish a magnetic flux through the pole pieces 12 and 13 of the approximate contact switch box so that the collecting shoe 20 will be connected with the feeder 15. The circuit is then completed through the contact box 11, shoe 20, conductor 35, circuit closer 34;, winding of the solenoid 36, conductor 37, electro-magnets 23, shunt 43, re sistance 4: 1 and return conductor 10. The passage of the current through the solenoid will cause the latter to automatically cut the battery circuit out of service and suiticient current passes through the grid resistance i lto maintain the electro-magnets in operative condition. To start the car it is then merely necessary for the motorman to throw on the controller in the usual manner thereby closing the path from the electromagnets through the controller, conductor 31, motor 32, conductor 33 and thence to the return conductor 10, there being practically little or no currentpassing through the re sistance 4-4 by reason of the making of this new relatively low resistance path through the motor. It will be noted that the resist ance containing conductor 43 is permanently connected in circuit so that as soon as the controller is thrown to oil position, as in making a stop or coasting, the current from the electroanagnets will pass to the return con ductor through the resistance 44. When the car is taken out of service for the night, it is merely necessary for the motorman to open the switch 28 so as to reserve the strength of the batter 25 and when the current is cut oil at the poiveustation, the solenoid 36 becomes deenergized and thus permits the bridging contact 39 to drop to normal position so that the battery circuit can be again out in by the closing of the switch 28, when required.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which. the invention appertains, and while we have described the principles of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which we now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is '1. In a system of the class described, a main feed wire, spaced switch-boxes and olcctro-magnetically actuated switches therein, car carried electromagnets controlling said switches and having only single windings of low resistance, a motor circuit in which said electro-magnets are connected, a motor controller, and an auxiliary return circuit independent of the circuit connections through the controller and including a resistance for preserving the continuity of the circuit of the electro-magnets when the controller is open.

2. In a system of the class described, a main conductor, a plurality of spaced switch boxes, electro-magnetically actuated switches therein, car carried electro-magnets controlling said switches, a motor, a motor circuit in which the electro magnets are connected in series parallel, and an auxiliary return connection in series with the electro magnets to forma constantly closed by-pass for current and including a resistance higher than that of the motor circuit and arranged to connect the electro-magnet circuit to the return side of the system when the motor circuit is open.

8. In an electric railway system, the combination of contact switch boxes, a main supply circuit, switches adapted to be connected with the circuit, single coil electro-magnets controlling the switches, a local circuit connected with the electro-magnets and containing a source of electromotive force, a resistance containing shunt between the electro-magnets and the return side of the supply circuit, a motor containing circuit connected with the electro-magnets and return side of the supply circuit and a controller included in the motor containing circuit, said shunt being connected between the controller and all the electro-magnets for permitting current to flow at all times through the latter.

4. In an electric railway system, the combination of electromagnetically actuated contact switch boxes, and a supply circuit, with a plurality of car carried electro-inagnets having single windings, a motor circuit, a controller in the circuit supplying the motor through the electro-magnets, and a permanently closed resistance containing path between the electro-magnets and return side of the said supply circuit for permitting current to flow through the windings of the electro-magnets when the motor controller is open; said path and motor circuit being arranged in parallel relation between the two sides of the supply circuit.

In an electric railway system, the combination of a main supply circuit, and contact devices adapted to be automatically connected in and disconnected from said circuit, with a plurality of car carried electromagnets having single windings, a local supply circuit connected with the electromagnets, means for connecting the electromagnets, with the main supply circuit, an automatic device for opening the local circuit when the elcctro-magnets are supplied from the main circuit, and a resistance containing conductor permanently connected in series between the electroanagnets and the return side of the main supply circuit.

6. In an electric railway system, the combination of a main supply circuit, and contact devices adapted to be connected with the circuit, with car carried electro-magnets for connecting the contact devices with the supply circuit, a car carried collector adapted to engage the devices, a conductor connecting the collecting device with the electromagnets, a motor containing conductor between the electro-magnets and return side of the main supply circuit, a local supply circuit connected with the electro-magnets, a controller for the motor, automatic means for opening the local supply circuit when the electro-magnets are connected with the main supply circuit, a manually-operated switch in circuit with the said means, and a permanently closed resistance containing conductor between the electromagnets and return side of the main supply circuit.

7. In an electric railway system, the com bination of a main supply circuit, and contact devices adapted to be connected with the circuit, with a plurality of car-carried electro-magnets, a local circuit in which the electro-magnets are connected in series relation, a current collector cooperating with the contact devices and connected with the electro-magnets, a motor containing conductor between the electro-magnets and return side of the main supply circuit, a controller in the conductor, a conductor arranged in shunt relation with the motor containing conductor and including a resistance of such value as to permit suflicient current to flow to energize the electro-magnets when the circuit is opened through the motor-containing conductor, and means dependent upon a supply of current from the main circuit to the electro-magnets for automatically opening the local supply circuit.

8. In an electric railway system, the combination of a main supply system, and contact devices adapted to be connected therewith, a plurality of electro-magnets having single windings of comparatively low resistance for rendering the contact devices operative, a local supply circuit connected with the said windings for energizing the same, a circuit connecting the contact devices with the electro-magnets, a series solenoid in the circuit, means controlled by the solenoid for opening the local circuit, a motor circuit between the main supply circuit and electromagnets for receiving currents through the windings of the latter, a controller and a resistance containing conductor between the main circuit and electro-inngnets for maintaining a flow of current through the Wind- 5 ings of the letter when the motor controller is opened and when the solenoidcontrolled means closes the local circuit.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

CHAS. A. HUSE. JOHN G. DOUTY.

Witnesses EMMA KNAPP, JOHN K. HOOVER.

V i I I I V I i V 

